There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Senbo, the burly man who had been thrown around in a daze, finally awoke from his brief unconsciousness. He got up from the ground, his eyes blazing with fury, grabbed his spiked club, and charged into the tent, letting out an angry roar.

Coincidentally, as soon as he entered, he saw the whole room in complete chaos, the new chieftain was pitifully clinging to my leg and begging for mercy, and two white eagles, symbols of honor, were trembling on my shoulders...

This scene looks exactly like I'm committing a home invasion robbery.

"go to hell!"

He swung his spiked club at the top of my head, this time putting in all his strength. His jaw was clenched so tightly that veins bulged, and his breath sounded like a rapidly approaching subtropical high-pressure storm...

Three seconds later, he changed his position and lay on the ground, unable to get up again.

…………

"Grey, your men are quite loyal! How did you become a chief?" I exclaimed sincerely.

I only managed to recruit this crew thanks to the system's cheat-like abilities, and they're mostly traitors who surrendered. How did Gray manage to recruit such a loyal and fierce general? Is he the protagonist of this light novel about conquering the world?!

Gray said somewhat embarrassedly, "The process wasn't that complicated... I happened to join the Cedar Clan, and a month later their old chieftain passed away. I defeated his successor and confidants and naturally became the new chieftain."

"Oh? You defeated this big guy? So he pledged allegiance to you?" I said suddenly. In the Cedar Clan, a barbaric tribe that values ​​strength, it's normal to have a habit of worshipping the strong.

But Gray shook his head and said, "That's not how it is, boss. Senbo is the old chief's designated successor. I gave him and his men a good beating, and this guy insists on being my guard and watching the door. It's very strange."

I retract my earlier statement that I thought was normal.

Is this reasonable?!

"Gray, if you don't mind, you can be the protagonist of this volume. I'll find a place to fish and shrimp, and wait for you to unify the continent."

I looked at him with disheartened disillusionment, and a sudden impulse to retire from the world of martial arts arose in my young heart.

"No way, boss! All I do here is fight and stand around all day. I'm so bored I can only play hide-and-seek with two little chicks! Take me home! I'm going crazy wanting to go home!"

Gray immediately screamed again.

I was deeply moved by what he said. If it weren't for Old Man Hook's terrible idea that forced me to search so desperately, I might have slowly gone mad from the mental torment of longing to go home.

"Don't worry, I'm here to find a way home, and you can help me in the process!"

I suddenly realized that Gray's presence here did have its advantages! For example, the Cedar Clan went from being a business partner to becoming my most loyal ally!

Then I described to him the method that Old Man Hook had dictated, and introduced the existence of spatial anchor points.

"Try to find out if there are any traces of spatial anchor points in this area. I only have the clues Ganan mentioned, but I don't know how to find more information now..."

Gray pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said, "The old chief who knew the truth is dead, and Ganan's awakening is still a long way off, so it is indeed a bit difficult... But I do have a solution..."

I asked, "What method?"

Gray said confidently, "Go find the Snow Cow Shaman!"

Chapter 485 Snow Cow Shaman

Behind the Cedar Clan's encampment, there is a solitary tent standing alone at the foot of the mountain.

Inside the tent was an even darker, more enclosed space, piled up everywhere with the stems and leaves of herbs, animal remains, and minerals of unknown origin. All of these, due to their age, emitted an unpleasant and pungent odor that made people feel nauseous and uncomfortable.

Among these unidentified substances, an old man dressed in a thick robe lay cross-legged, his thin body silently present in the room, as if he were just another unremarkable item among the thousands of treasures inside.

Until he quietly spoke.

"Is someone else... in need of blessings?"

As the soft, sandpaper-like sound emanated, I realized that the person in front of me was the Snow Cow Shaman I had been searching for.

Gray answered in a loud, carefree voice—I was worried my voice would scare the old man to death—"The Ganan caravan has returned, and indeed, they deserve our blessings. But that's not why I'm here. Actually, Ganan had a bit of an accident and is currently unconscious..."

Before Gray could finish speaking, the Snow Cow Shaman stretched out his withered, slender hand, indicating that no further explanation was needed.

“I know about Ganan. His fragmented spirit was shattered… it was you…”

Because of his missing teeth, the Snow Cow Shaman's voice was very weak and indistinct, but he opened his eyes, the whites of which were not visible, and stared straight at me.

Suddenly, I smelled an even stronger stench emanating from the air.

Upon closer inspection, a plume of black smoke was billowing from beneath where the Snow Cow Shaman was lying, as if someone had kicked over a large vat of fermenting filth, and various tangible stenches filled the room.

"Gray, is this old man having diarrhea?!"

But strangely, the image of this bull shaman gradually became blurry.

A wisp of black mist spiraled upwards, gradually covering his emaciated body, transforming into a massive, crouching black shadow. Its growth ceased only when its head touched the top of the tent, its shapeless face only vaguely visible through spherical gray eyes. The bloated body was covered in short, silvery-white, bat-like fur, and from a certain angle, it did indeed resemble a crouching snow ox.

The unidentified eyes opened only a crack, as if still in a half-awake, half-asleep state, but the phosphorescence shining through the slits of the eerie face instantly illuminated the pitch-black pupils...

Its eyes jerked open, and I knew it was looking at me!

The next moment, a foul aura burst forth from the black shadow's mouth, transforming into a thick black cloud carrying an astonishing stench, which rushed straight towards me!

I knew something was wrong the moment I saw the anomaly. Fortunately, after experiencing the indescribable battle in a parallel world, I had my own way of dealing with it...

I stood up, revealing an expression befitting the Showa era, and roared at the dark clouds with a fierce glint in my eyes:

"I'm!"

"Fourth-year student, Corporal Morishita!"

With each word I uttered, the foul-smelling black aura would begin to dissipate slightly, swaying from side to side as if it were being obstructed by an invisible force.

"We're here to supervise you, we're upperclassmen!"

"He's the best among you, Big Brother!"

After the elder brother uttered his last statement, just as the black mist was about to touch me, it finally gave in and swirled into a powerful airflow that made the entire tent whistle loudly.

Countless magical artifacts were tossed about and swirled, eventually creating large holes in all four sides of the tent before rushing out and disappearing into the surrounding air.

"Yoshi, that's great!"

I added a slightly satisfied remark, then looked at the location of the Snow Cow Shaman and found that he had turned back into an ordinary, dying old man, his breathing even as if he were asleep.

…………

"No wonder this tent was built here alone... With this stench emanating out every day, an ordinary person would be unable to eat because of it," I exclaimed.

Gray sighed and said, "Boss, you're the one who can scare away this stinking black cloud without batting an eye! You're truly amazing, boss!"

"...If you keep talking nonsense, I'll send you to the School of Vision Impairment!"

The snow ox shaman gradually awoke from his slumber, and said in a hoarse voice, as if he had been stealing food from his rubber boots, "The wisdom of the gods has finally descended upon me once more..."

"Snow Cow Shaman, I have some questions for you..."

The old man murmured a few words, then looked at Gray and said, "No need to say anything more, White Falcon... You are the miracle I prayed to the gods for... You owe the clan nothing, but the clan owes you..."

Gray nodded solemnly and whispered to me, "At first, I heard the shaman's call in my dream, which led me to the Cedar Clan and to join them. He probably meant that I didn't need to care about the chieftain's status and could leave at any time."

"Okay, then ask my question for me too. Why does it seem like the shaman isn't paying much attention to me?" I asked, puzzled.

Gray said in a low voice, "I think it's not that they're ignoring you, but rather that they're afraid to talk to you, boss..."

The Snow Cow Shaman seemed to have overheard our conversation. This time, he sat up, holding a statue across his chest with both hands, and said in a deep voice, "White Falcon... I know the doubts of our guests from afar, but the gods have not granted me enough knowledge, so I dare not answer rashly... However, I can share my limited knowledge with you..."

He closed his eyes, one hand resting on his knee, the other pressing against his brow.

"Decades ago, one night, Ganan returned to the tribe and told Chief Leopard what he had seen at Wolf Fang Lake..."

"The leopard asked me for a blessing, but I received a divine revelation... God said that the courageous spirit of Ganan who had faced the strange phenomena must be separated and sealed away in order to avert disaster..."

"In our terror, we offered sacrifices of cattle and sheep, and finally received divine favor. To atone for the sins committed by Ganan, God placed the sacred relic, a fragment of his spirit, into his belly..."

The snow bull shaman trembled, his eyes filled with unmistakable fear. "The white falcon, that's an existence the clan can't match. Maintaining sacred restraint is the wise thing to do... Unlike the multiple terrifying auras emanating from the guest before us, the being by Wolf Fang Lake is simple, singular, yet utterly naked..."

The old shaman was indeed wary of me. After our exchange, he not only avoided eye contact with me, but also deliberately avoided talking to me.

If he didn't speak so vaguely, I really wanted to know what he saw in me...

"God said... what the guest is seeking is tonight... at the shore of Wolf Fang Lake when the moon is high in the sky... this is the best opportunity in the hundred lunar years..."

The snow bull shaman held an ebony statue in his arms, stroking it with trembling hands, muttering incoherent prayers.

“Go, White Falcon… This is a divine revelation. I don’t know if it’s auspicious or ominous… But that night, apart from Ganan, who survived, all twenty-six other hunters in the tribe disappeared without a trace…”

After saying this, the Snow Cow Shaman collapsed onto the wolf-skin rug as if his body had fallen apart, maintaining even breathing and remaining motionless ever since.

Gray sighed and was the first to lift the curtain and step out of the tent. I glanced at the mess inside the tent and got up to leave the tent that was making me dizzy from the stench.

But as I was leaving, I saw one end of the ebony statue peeking out from under the heavy hem of the sleeping snow shaman's robe—the statue had a shiny exterior worn smooth by years of handling and a toad-like belly. It sat on a wooden platform, its single, greedy, and lazy eye squinting, seemingly waiting for offerings in a half-dream state…

Chapter 486 Strange Tales of Wolf Fang Lake (Part 1)

Fine grass and a gentle breeze accompany a beautiful lakeside, with the setting sun painting the water with shimmering gold. The wind rustles the tender branches of the willows by the lake, like a graceful maiden swaying on the shore, or like the cruel god of nature in the wilderness, unexpectedly playing a tender melody.

Gradually, the other half of the lake turned dark as the sky darkened, but fireflies seemed to glow on the calm water, flitting about in praise of the tranquility and serenity. This reminded me of the moving scene described in the poem: "A lone light pierces the waves in the wind, gradually scattering into a river of stars as dusk falls."

Unfortunately, such beautiful scenery could not move Gray and me as we stood by the river.

"Boss, how much longer do we have to wait? The mosquitoes here are fierce..."

Gray irritably waved a string of branches to scare away the fierce mosquitoes and flies by the lake, while also wrapping his robe tighter around himself to prevent insects from crawling in through the gaps in his clothes.

I remained unmoved, lying prone in the grass, my eyes intently monitoring the area around Wolf Fang Lake. "It's still a few hours until the moon reaches its zenith. Let's just bear with it for now so we can get back to Mineral Town. Do you think the shaman's words are reliable?"

Gray said with certainty, "The old shaman of the Cedar Clan is a renowned oracle in the entire tribe, and the things he has prophesied are countless. Just the fact that he lived to be eighty-two years old is already remarkable..."

“Alright then, let’s wait a bit longer. According to Ganan’s description, he saw a brightly lit stronghold. This lake isn’t very big, so even if we don’t know the exact location, we should be able to see something unusual around us from here.”

I offered Gray a word of comfort, and then we both fell silent.

As night fell, the chirping of insects and the flitting of birds by the lake became abrupt. I also saw many moving black dots by the lake, which should be wild animals coming out to drink water under the cover of night.

This long, narrow lake is the largest freshwater body in the vicinity, making it a very suitable hunting ground.

As the strange, blood-yellow moon peeked over the horizon, Wolf Fang Lake reflected a faint moonlight. The strong winds unique to the wilderness rustled the grass and trees, the rustling sound like countless hunters like us, lurking in the meadow.

I couldn't help but wonder if the hunters who went hunting with Ganan and disappeared back then were also as quiet and lonely as we were, lying in ambush on the land we stand on.

Are those vanished hunters still around? Do they still roam this lakeside today, aimlessly searching for the tracks of their prey, yet unable to leave this ancient land?

Perhaps they are currently in the grass beside us, watching us with wary and greedy eyes, silently approaching their unfamiliar prey...

"Boss Marcus, look over there!"

I was shuddering at my own fantasy when Gray suddenly shattered it. Following the direction he pointed, I saw a strange light appearing by the lake, reflecting in the center of the blood-yellow, one-eyed moon, appearing hazy and indistinct.